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Brendan Fraser Will Be Darren Aronofsky’s 600-lb Recluse in The Whale

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Put on your finest neck fabrics and read this: More than three years after the release of his hot mess Mother! and a sensational tabloid romance, Darren Aronofsky has taken a cue from TLC and chosen The Whale as his next film. Deadline reports that Aronofsky will be directing cowboy hat icon Brendan Fraser in the lead role, with MacArthur-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter adapting his provocative play for the screen, which originally had an off-Broadway run in 2012. The Whale, per its official theater website, revolves around a “six hundred pound recluse†(Fraser) living in rural Idaho who “hides away in his apartment eating himself to death.†However, he desperately tries to change his self-destructive behavior “to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter,†whom he discovers grew up to be “a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen.†(Anyone know if Elsie Fisher is available?) “This story is deeply personal and I’m very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience,†Hunter told Deadline in a statement. “I’ve been a fan of Darren’s ever since I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I’m so grateful that he’s bringing his singular talent and vision to this film.†From his blowhole to God’s ears.

Brendan Fraser Will Be Darren Aronofsky’s 600-lb Recluse